1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wireless networks and, more specifically, to an apparatus for associating a client device or service with a wireless network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Home networks, in which multiple computing and/or peripheral devices are communicatively linked together in a consumer's home, are becoming increasingly ubiquitous. A home environment may include one or more computers, a wireless router, a DSL modem, and one or more other client devices capable of connecting to the home network. Conventionally, each device in the home network must be individually configured to connect to the network and, once configured, may then communicate with each of the other devices attached to the home network.
In practice, procedures for associating client devices and provisioning services on a home network are typically too involved for the majority of home network users to implement reliably. For example, a network user may need to manually reconfigure the home network router, determine a network IP address and/or hostname for each client device, establish network credentials, register the various services for each device, and manually track which network IP address is associated with which client device or service in order to configure client devices to communicate on the home network.
The involved configuration procedures described above make it a challenge for unsophisticated users to reliably setup a home network and associate client devices or services on the home network. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for systems and methods that enable the user of a home network to conveniently and securely connect one or more devices or services to the home network.
For clarity, identical reference numbers have been used, where applicable, to designate identical elements that are common between figures. It is contemplated that features of one example embodiment may be incorporated in other example embodiments without further recitation.